Have you ever tried to figure out what a company does, but a trip to the company’s “About Us” web page leaves you with more questions than answers? We have. In fact, we’ve read some pretty awful “About” descriptions that were so busy throwing around industry lingo and painting lofty pictures that they never answered such basic questions as “What do you do?” and “Who do you do it for?”
To attract new customers, you must be able to clearly define your company in one sentence. Period.
Clearly and succinctly identifying your purpose does several things. First and foremost, it helps clients and prospects identify you as a potential problem-solver. If a reader doesn’t understand what you do, he won’t see how you can help him.
Second, a brief identifying statement also helps your team stay focused by reminding you who you serve and what your business purpose is. It will keep you on track when evaluating potential new products or services or even when hiring new personnel.
Finally, a concise, one-sentence description of your company can provide a consistent message and focus through a variety of resources and activities, not just on your website.
Productive and Free (www.productiveandfree.com), providers of time-saving templates
that help busy entrepreneurs grow their dream businesses, encourages companies to put
their one-sentence statements to work in many places, including
· On business plans
· In an “elevator pitch”
· When networking
· On a homepage
· In a bio
· In an email signature
· In the “about” section of a social media account
· In a media kit and on press releases
So what exactly should your one-liner include to be effective and successful? Your statement should answer these five, key questions:
1. What’s your business name?
2. What do you sell?
3. Who are your customers (be specific)?
4. What problem do you help solve?
5. Why should customers buy from you (your unique selling proposition)?
That’s it. You can go into detail about the history of the company and its founder later. You can talk about the kind of world you envision your product creating in an extended version of your “About Us.” The first thing your readers should see, however, is your one-sentence statement. A single defining explanation of why your company exists.
You can include other compelling information in your sentence—including your mission, your values, your size, your physical locations, industry accolades, social proof, etc.—but make sure to keep your length in check. Don’t let your one-sentence description become a tome.
You have one sentence to make an impact. Make it count.